Welcome to Jen's Kitchen

I've got a new favorite Christmas cookie.... that happens to be vegan by my idol Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

I'm not a huge peppermint candy fan but it works here. I didn't have peppermint chocolate that the recipe calls for but I did get a gift of candy canes I crushed up in the food processor and had some Enjoy Life mega chunks in the cupboard.
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They are not overly sweet or minty, they are the perfect dark fudgy chocolate that I respect in a cookie!

In a large bowl, cream together the oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and milk and mix gently; it might make the oil clump up and firm up a bit, but that's okay. Mix in the vanilla.

Add 1 cup of the flour along with the cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Mix in the chocolate peppermint chunks and then the remaining 1 cup flour and mix until it firms up. You might need to use your hands to get it fully incorporated.

Place twelve 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops of dough on each baking sheet, a few inches apart. Flatten slightly with your hand. Place a pinch of crushed candy cane in the center of each and press gently into the surface.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooking rack to cool completely.

I love to try new things... updates on classics like the Chocolate Chip Cookie top that list. This winner comes from Mary Jane Farm magazine's favorite things Feb-Mar 2010 and I agree! The addition of coconut and oats along with the chocoate and peanut butter chip combo really upgrades this classic!

​Here's an easy recipe for when I need a cookie but not sure what. The dried cranberries look good, especially around the holidays. And chocolate chips are always a good idea!​Oatmeal Craisin Cookies​Penzey's

1. Preheat oven to 350.2. Cream the butter and sugars until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and blend well. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Add the oats, craisins, and chocolate chips if using. Stir until mixed well.3. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I love finding simple ways to add protein powder into a yummy treat. This cookie has a great sweet salty combo along with sneaking in some protein! Recipe calls for powdered soy beverage and I'm not sure I know what that is but I've used several different vanilla protein powders in this and it comes out fine. I've also used regular sized pretzels and have had success as well.

Vegetarian Times, September 2011 Makes 48 cookies 30 minutes or fewerNeed a fast after-school snack? These salty-sweet nuggets are just the ticket.

½ cup vanilla-flavored powdered soy beverage

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup sugar

3 Tbs. brown rice syrup

2 cups crushed mini pretzels

⅓ cup sweetened flake coconut, chopped, optional

1. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Whisk together powdered soy beverage with 2 Tbs. water in bowl. Stir in vanilla. 2. Warm peanut butter, sugar, and rice syrup in saucepan over medium heat 2 minutes, or until smooth. Stir in soy beverage mixture. Stir in crushed pretzels and coconut, if using, until evenly combined. Pinch off 1 Tbs.-size chunks of dough, and place on prepared baking sheet to cool. Cool cookies 10 minutes before serving.

I love making preserves in the summer and finding things to make when them come winter! This is a great recipe I came across in one of my favorite now out of print magazines, ReadyMade. This is a great vegan cookie I added to last year's Christmas cookie tray and I was surprised how it was a favorite of most people I gave it to (I agreed, but I love vegan bakestuff!... even the meatiest of meat eaters loved this cookie!). The nuttiness with the fruit was really great. I made with several different toppings... grape jam, peach preserves, currant jam and even beer jelly. They all turned out great and went fast since everyone just had to try them all!

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Almond-Jam Thumbprint CookiesReadymade Magazine, June/July 2011from "Vegan Family Meals" by Ann GentryNotes: These little gems are moist and not too sweet, with just the right amount of crunchiness. Use a food processor to pulse the almonds into a fine flour.

2. Pulse the almonds in food processor until they form a fine flour with some small speckles of nuts still visible. Leave some small bits of the almonds for a nice crunchy texture.

3. Stir the ground almonds, oat flour, pastry flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the maple syrup, apple juice, oil, and almond extract in a medium bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until blended.

4. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop the dough in mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. (If you don't have an ice cream scoop, just roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball for each cookie.) Using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation about 1/2 inch in diameter that goes to the bottom of the cookie, but not through the bottom. Spoon the preserves into a pastry bag or a small resealable plastic bag with a bottom corner cut off. Pipe the preserves into each indentation, mounding them just above the top of the cookie (the jam will melt down as the cookies bake).

5. Bake the cookies until they puff and become pale golden on the top and bottom, about 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to cooling racks and let cool. Cookies will keep for two days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.﻿

A favorite recipe of ours to make and give comes from the comprehensive cookie reference called The All-American Cookies Book by Nancy Baggett. I hate to admit the Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookie we love so much was inspired by a TGIFriday's famous chocolate malt cake recipe. We've never had the inspiration but the cookie is the best we have ever made!

​I usually use standard supermarket malt powder but this old time natural Soda Fountain version makes a great carrier for the cookies once it's empty!

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the sugar, butter, and oil until well blended. Add the sour cream egg, and vanilla and beat until well blended; the mixture may look curdled. Beat in half the flour mixture, scraping down the sides several times. Beat in 3 tablespoons hot water, then beat or stir in the remaining flour mixture until evenly incorporated.
Drop the dough onto the baking sheets using a 1/8 cup measure or coffee scoop, spacing about 2 1/2" apart. Using a lightly greased hand, pat down the tops just slightly.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops begin to flatten and the cookies are just barely firm in the centers. Reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies are slightly firm, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. let stand until completely cooled.

FILLING: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate morsels and butter for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir well. Continue to microwave stirring at 30 second intervals. Stop before the chocolate is completely melted and let the residual heat do the job. Let cool to warm.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the malted milk powder and cream cheese until well blended and completely smooth. Beat in half the chocolate mixture just until incorporated. Beat in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until well blended. Beat in the remaining chocolate mixture and the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until somewhat thickened but not stiff. Beat the filling on high speed until light in color and very fluffy, about 3 minutes more; scrape down the sides several times.

Spread about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the filling on the underside of half of the cookies. Top each cookie with a second cookie about the same size. Press the two together until the filling squeezes out the edge. Let stand for at least 5 mintues so the flavors can mingle before serving.
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Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Preparing for a recent trip to Phoenix I came across an article about Phoenix's best cookie. It was a Salted Chocolate Chip cookie from LaGrande Orange. I was obsessed with trying this cookie and it was worth all the hype. It was a good hearty, giant chocolate chip cookie on the chewy side coated in one of my favorite things on the planet, Maldon. It was so amazing that just eating the one in Phoenix was not enough. I needed to make at home.. so here we go. These are a bit more cake like but a great upgrade to the standard chocolate chip friend.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars with electric mixer. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to egg mixture and blend until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks. In a small bowl, place Maldon salt. Form dough into rounded tablespoons and flatten slightly. Press tops of dough into bowl of sea salt. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2" apart.

Jen's Kitchen...

is the smallest kitchen ever. We used to watch those decorating shows that said they were doing small kitchens and then could see that 4 of my kitchens would fit in their "small kitchens".Regardless of size, the kitchen is busy cranking out good things. Most is natural/organic but that doesn't mean it's always healthy!